The Plumbline

Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough. (Psalm 37:18-19) The Lord's care isn't to be taken for granted. Day by day, moment by moment, he is right there with all we need. We might forget just how 'privileged' we are as children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but we should never take that blessing for granted. Hard times will come - we can be assured of that as history has a tendency to repeat itself, just in a kind of new facade. Whatever we face, he is there. We need not worry nor fret. According to "This vs That", fretting is a milder form of worry, carrying just a little 'lighter' emotional investment. (https://thisvsthat.io/fret-vs-worry) When we feel a little uneasiness about a situation, that is what some refer to as fretting (or sweating the small stuff). When that emotion gets us h...

If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. (Matthew 6:33) Relax, stop being so preoccupied with stuff - that is pretty solid wisdom, Jesus! Relax, give him control, stop trying to always work things out yourself - that is more than just good 'advice' - it is wisdom for peaceful living! When we get so preoccupied with all the 'doing' and 'getting' life demands of us, we have little to know time for Jesus in our days. The most important part of our day i...

Billy Graham left us with this thought: "When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost." So many people put more trust in what they have amassed on this earth than they do on what will be their fate in the afterlife. Wealth can be lost in the blink of an eye, but with enough tenacity and hard work, one can 'make back' some of this physical wealth. Health might rob us of our dignity, strength, and even our humor, but it never fully robs us of what we have stored up in the way of memories. Character, on the other hand, carries a heavy loss. Families, friends, fame, and sometimes even faith can be crushed when someone falls into 'ill-repute'. There are no high walls of safety in this world until we enter into the walls of our Savior's arms! The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense; they imagine it to be a high wall of safety. Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes h...

Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for I trust in You. Teach me the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You. Teach me to do Your will [so that I may please You], for You are my God; let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. (Psalm 143:8, 10) I trust in You. Are these words true of your life - really true? If we still take the reins most of the time, I daresay our 'trust level' is quite low! If we find ourselves leaning in when we understand what life demands, just as frequently as we do when we don't understand what is required of us, then we are moving closer to 'trusting God fully' and our own worldly wisdom a lot less. The way we 'should' walk often differs from the way we choose to walk, doesn't it? We start out well, but then there is some misstep along the way that takes us down a different path than we intended. God's ears are open to us asking for direction! Even when we have taken our own path. Our soul must...

Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you. (2 Timothy 1:13-14) Paul was writing to Timothy, encouraging him to continue in his faith, not deviating from the calling God had placed on his lives. While we don't have an Apostle Paul today who will encourage us with these same words, they were recorded so we could take instruction for our daily lives, as well. Hold on to the wholesome teaching you learned. Treasure it, don't let it be influenced by worldly norms or patterns. Hold on means that we not only keep it ever before us, but we follow that teaching with all the perseverance we can muster. When that perseverance falters a bit, then lean in even more so to the Holy Spirit's presence in your life and stand strong. Guard those precious truths - they will be wh...

 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” (Isaiah 6:6) Who should I send... Those words speak volumes in terms of God seeking individuals he may use for his purposes on this earth. Some will be spokesmen; others will lead with courage in the midst of battle. A few will be called to take leadership of others who seek him will all their heart. Yet, the vast majority of us will simply be called to lead our everyday, ordinary lives, with conviction, passion, and purpose - being positive examples of God's grace to a hurting world. Our "call" may not seem significant in the eyes of the 'mighty' or 'famous', but it is backed by his power, so let the world watch as we fulfill it! Here I am...send me... The heart must be willing to be sent - to acknowledge and accept his desires as supreme over our own comfort. Yet not every 'calling' of the Lord is 'uncomfortable...

When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit. (Romans 7:5-6) When we were controlled by our old nature... We cannot deny the fact that the 'old man' needed a change that wasn't forthcoming until Christ took over our lives. ...sinful desires were at work within us... While we might have done some 'good things' while the old man was in control, we also made a habit of being just a little too self-focused, selfish on more than one occasion, and likely just a bit too prideful about doing 'good things'. We might even have bragged or called attention to ourselves for being 'good' people. ...and the Law aro...

The unfolding of Your [glorious] words give light; Their unfolding gives understanding to the simple (childlike). (Psalm 119:130) If you have ever tried to really 'get into' God's Word, only to find yourself in a little over your head when it comes to understanding what is being said, then you are not alone. The 'understanding' of God's Word seems to come in 'bits and spurts', doesn't it? I think that may be because God knows if we understood it all at one time, we'd be either so overwhelmed, or we'd forget just about everything we were shown in rather short order. Childlike faith is actually encouraged throughout scripture, with Jesus even telling his disciples the children should never be discouraged from coming to him. Why? A child's mind is curious - it loves to explore. It is open to being taught. Why do you think we start elementary school at an early age? It is because the ability to 'critically think' doesn't really s...

But prove yourselves doers of the word [actively and continually obeying God’s precepts], and not merely listeners [who hear the word but fail to internalize its meaning], deluding yourselves [by unsound reasoning contrary to the truth]. (James 1:22) The proof is in the pudding is an old adage from the early 20th century indicating that what is put to the test actually performed as it was supposed to perform. "Proof" actually meant 'test' as it was used in the original context. Faith must be tested to see if it performs as it is supposed to - if it doesn't, it is back to the drawing board for it! Doers of the word willingly submit their faith to the testing it requires in order to 'prove' it as steadfast and enduring.  As we incorporate God's word into our lives, we begin to see subtle changes occurring. They may not happen all at once, but as we internalize his word and allow it to work upon our emotions, thoughts, and the stubbornness of our will, w...

Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.” (Joshua 6:1-5) It is time we come to realize the more we look for God to work in conventional ways in our lives, the more he will surprise us by using unconventional means to accomplish his plans and purposes. The walls may be tightly shut, but you can rest assured that God is no match for those walls. The enemy may ...

Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark. (Rabindranath Tagore) Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1) Way back when I was in Bible College, I was asked to present a paper on the topic, "What is faith?" Now, less you think I might have received a good grade on that paper, I would like to report I received a great big "C" on that work. Passing, but lacking. What I came to discover as "lacking" in that paper was anything of substance from my own experience. It was 'theologically sound', but it lacked anything that actually described the effects of faith, the resulting change faith brings, or any such 'experiential' component of faith. Faith IS more than just a theological 'thing' that is needed for a man or woman to enter into relationship with God. Faith IS more than a hope of something more - it is the very thing that helps us to walk out thi...

I cannot help but recall the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson as he penned, "All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen." When scientists try to explain the creation without the inclusion of a Creator, it is hard for me to understand that way of thinking. The greatness, power, glory, and majesty of the Creator are displayed in brilliance in all he has created - the universe, this earth, our bodies, and even our souls. We might not understand how God made all of this out of a formless void - bringing life from within the darkness of that void - but his power is way beyond our understanding anyway! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. (I Chronicles 29:11) God isn't going to create and then leave his creation to figure it all out on their own. He is right here, overseeing a...

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. (I Corinthians 1:18, 20-21) Human wisdom only goes so far. Divine wisdom gets beneath the surface to see the crux or intention of that which is being considered. If God had relied upon human wisdom to share the message of hope that is inherent in the cross and resurrection of Christ, we'd still be trying to analyze it and find ways to poke holes in the 'theory' of the cross. Oh, wait...we ARE still debating the validity of Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection, aren't we? Human minds will never be able to comprehend the fully divine side of Jesus coming to this earth, taking on human form, and then being the perfect sacrifice fo...

Ronald Reagan reminded us, "We are never defeated unless we give up on God." So many times, we announce that we are 'defeated' in one sense or another, not realizing that our real problem is that we 'gave up' on something God told us to hold onto. We actually give up on him because the road got a bit too bumpy, or the issues got a little tougher to handle than we wanted to deal with. The real issue is that we aren't the ones dealing with those issues - he is - we just couldn't wait to see how he'd handle them! Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (Proverbs 3:5-6) Whenever we seek to understand things through what our own mind interprets, we are missing what only our spirit can understand. The ways of God are very often beyond what our mind can comprehend - we need the Spirit of God, working on our spirit, to help us understand fully what...

Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times. (Martin Luther) Luther also told us to 'pray and let God worry'. Maybe one of the hardest things for us to come to appreciate is how much we like to worry and really don't take that worry to God until we are all 'worried out'. Jesus reminds us, "So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today." (Matthew 6:31-34) Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace - not in our own ability or intelligence. It isn't about what we CAN do as much as it is ab...

“I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” (Matthew 17:20) Have you ever tried to move a mountain? I have moved sheds, piles of gravel, stones, and the like, but never a mountain! I have moved wheelbarrows full of dirt, filling flower beds and the like, but never the entire mountain - not even a hill! There is something here Jesus wants us to understand: Faith isn't measured as we measure things. It is measured in the hands of God because only he sees the full potential in that small seed of faith. What insurmountable thing or looming challenge do you have over your head right now? Are you trusting God with it? Have you given him the 'little faith' you have, trusting him to show you the full potential wrapped up in that 'tiny seed' of faith you bring to him? Trusting God with what we don't understand or have the ability to fac...

Sometimes we make the process more complicated than we need to. We will never make a journey of a thousand miles by fretting about how long it will take or how hard it will be. We make the journey by taking each day step by step and then repeating it again and again until we reach our destination.  (Joseph B. Wirthlin) But now you have arrived at your destination: By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Christ’s life, the fulfillment of God’s original promise. (Galatians 3:25-27) Journeys all have a destination in mind. We may not clearly know the destination when we set out, but we have a general idea. As we go along this journey with Christ, we have a general idea of being washed, made clean, getting a fresh start, but do we know where that 'fresh start' will take us? Not always! We might imagine it just means we 'do over'...

Perhaps one of your new year's resolutions was to worry less and trust God more. If you made that one, you are definitely not alone. It is human nature to worry over things - what to do, where to go, who to see, when it will be done, and on we worry. The more we worry, the less we trust - the more we cast that worry on Jesus, the less it will consume our every thought, plan, and action! Don’t be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me. (John 14:1) The 'command' is pretty specific - DON'T BE TROUBLED. I imagine God emphasizing that one to us, so I made it all caps! The troubles of this world are so many and seem to mount with each passing day. It almost seems we barely get past yesterday's troubles before new ones are on the horizon. When our eyes are on the troubles we observe around us, we cannot see the glory God has laid out for us. His watchful eye sees far better than ours ever do, so maybe it is time to do as he says and stop being 'troubled' over thi...

The moment we begin to justify sin in our lives is the moment we need most to turn back to what God says about each of us. We were born to do wrong - sinners even before we left our mother's womb. Born with the 'birthright' to sin. We aren't born without a will, but rather with a will that is oftentimes opposed to the will of our Creator. As we begin to develop, we use that 'will' to get what we want. As I have said in the past, we don't need to be told to be selfish, self-centered, or self-directed. It comes quite naturally to want all the toys, attention, and permission to do whatever we want! I was born to do wrong, a sinner before I left my mother’s womb. You want me to be completely loyal, so put true wisdom deep inside of me. Remove my sin and make me pure. Wash me until I am whiter than snow! (Psalm 51:5-7) If we have this 'birthright' of being born sinners, how do we overcome sin? There has to be an exchange of nature - our nature for...

A person’s body that does not have a spirit is dead. It is the same with faith—faith that does nothing is dead! (James 2:26) Faith is meant to produce something - it isn't just an ethereal thing that we 'have' but never put to use. Faith is meant to have feet and hands - it is meant to be put into action. Democritus once said, "Our sins are more easily remembered than our good deeds." Wouldn't it be wonderful if our good deeds were the things others remembered instead of our sinful actions. It takes only one bad deed to damage a reputation, and it can take thousands of good ones to restore it! Faith and deeds are interrelated. You cannot separate one from the other. Ephesians reminds us that we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, not our 'good deeds', but that living for and in Christ Jesus means that we will produce good deeds. In other words, our life is lived for others, not just ourselves. Prior to welcoming Christ into our lives, we did 'good ...